Former Yankees pitcher gets NPB Opening Day honor

Former New York Yankees hurler Masahiro Tanaka has been named as the Opening Day starter for the Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization (NPB).

The 34-year-old right-hander pitched seven seasons for the Yankees (2014-2020) before signing a two-year deal with the Golden Eagles. This offseason, Tanaka extended his stay in Japan by inking a one-year deal after there was some thought he might head back to the Yankees for the upcoming season. Now, he has been rewarded with his first NPB Opening Day start since 2012 after making four Opening Day starts in the Bronx.

Opening Day start will bring former Yankees pitcher Tanaka full circle

Taking the mound for Rakuten, Tanaka will square off against the Nippon Ham Fighters on March 30 as they open their new stadium (Es Con Field Hokkaido in Kitahiroshima). That game, which will feature plenty of festivities in honor of its grand opening, will also kick off the 2023 NPB season.

For Tanaka, the game will not only be significant in terms of the new stadium and his part in its beginning on Opening Day, but also because of the location of the game. Tanaka played in high school at Hokkaido’s Komadai Tomakomai prior to being selected in the first round of the 2006 NPB draft. He made his debut in 2007 and pitched in NPB until being signed by the Yankees before the 2014 campaign.

“It’s an honor,” Tanaka told reporters. “I have a connection to Hokkaido. I’m ready to do it.”

Rakuten manager Kazuhisa Ishii told reporters that the decision to make Tanaka the Opening Day starter was an easy one.

“He said his physical condition is fine, so I asked him to get the team’s first win of this year” Ishii said. “As for this year, I had only one choice (Tanaka) in my mind.”